So, a life coach walked into a bar and was amazed at the sights and sounds of the NBA championship! I choose to go with my sons because this could have been an historic event and indeed, it was! It was powerful and at times, deafening to participate with spirit of our pub community cheering the Bucks on.
There were three things that stood out to me as I watched. Giannis Antetokounmpo imagined success before each free throw, maintained focus the entire game, and won the heart of Wisconsin with his humility. These are strategies of a great leader.
Focus
We will not get to where we wish to go without focus. Antetokounmpo became worse at free throw baskets as he gained muscle mass. His body needed to adjust to form to achieve a successful free throw. This was Antetokounmpo’s area of focus in the last 3 months and it paid off in the game. Antetokounmpo did not work on many things. He worked on one. Free Throws. How many focus areas do you have going in your life? If you were to pick one thing to focus on that would make the greatest impact by achieving it, what would it be?
Imagine success
Antetokounmpo took a long time for his free throw shots. He planted his feet, visualized the throw with muscle movement, got the ball, and adjusted his form to make the shot. Fans of the Heat, the Hawks, and the Suns chanted 3, 2, 1 to emphasize Antetokounmpo’s long process. When asked about this, Antetokounmpo’s response was “Usually I take eight to nine seconds. Borderline 10 seconds. When my coaching staff tells me to like, speed it up, I know that maybe I'm around 10.” “I just try to do my routine. And part of my routine is breathing and catching my breath.” “So, I've just got to embrace it and have fun with it. But at the end of the day, I'm just focusing on my routine, my technique, my body, and as I said, it's not going to stop, so I just have to learn to live with it." *
How about you? What’s your free throw? What would change in your life to achieve this? How can you make that one thing easy to achieve?
Humility is attractive
Finally, Antetokounmpo captured the heart of Wisconsin with his sweet humility. Born of humble beginnings, Antetokounmpo continued to focus on what’s most important and the success of the entire team. In every interview, Antetokounmpo first credited the Bucks. Second, he honored his family. A great leader looks outward to honor others while accepting reward and credit of a job well done. As a leader rises, they take their team and support with them. Who can you honor and give credit to today?
Namaste,
Laura
* Quote from: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/giannis-antetokounmpos-free-throw-everything-you-need-to-know-including-the-nba-rules-and-the-trolling-fans